Vcenter License Key Command Line May 2026
Managing vCenter license keys via the command line is primarily achieved through VMware PowerCLI
Want to verify that everything stuck? Use these quick snippets to audit your status: $licMgr.Licenses vcenter license key command line
# Connect to vCenter Appliance shell ssh root@vcenter.example.local # List current vCenter licenses vim-cmd vimsvc/license --list Managing vCenter license keys via the command line
Note: You can find your vCenter UUID by running (Get-View ServiceInstance).Content.About.InstanceUuid . 2. Managing Licenses via VCSA Shell (BASH) Managing Licenses via VCSA Shell (BASH) While PowerCLI
While PowerCLI is more versatile and widely used, the vCLI also offers functionalities for managing licenses, albeit with a different set of commands:
$remainingHosts = Get-VMHost | Where-Object $_.LicenseKey -eq $oldKey if ($remainingHosts.Count -eq 0) Write-Host "No hosts remain on old license. Removing old key." Remove-VMLicense -LicenseKey $oldKey -Confirm:$false else Write-Warning "Some hosts still use the old license."
/usr/lib/vmware-vdcs-cli/bin/license-cli --operation assign --key "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" --service vc